Yael Eckstein

Eckstein is the daughter of Yechiel Eckstein, a rabbi.{{cite web|url=https://worldisraelnews.com/rabbis-daughter-raises-118-million-for-israelis-in-poverty/ |title=Rabbi's daughter raises $118 million for Israelis in poverty |date=2021-08-15|publisher=World Israel News }} She was born in Evanston, Illinois,{{Cite web|url=http://www.ifcj.org/who-we-are/leadership/yael-eckstein.html|title=Yael Eckstein|publisher=International Fellowship of Christians and Jews|access-date=2019-02-14}} and raised in Chicago. Eckstein studied at Torat Chesed Seminary in Israel, Queens College in New York, and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She has degrees in Biblical and Jewish studies and sociology.{{cite web|url=https://thekcompany.co/background/biography-yael-eckstein/|title=Biography Yael Eckstein|publisher=The Kairos Company }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.ifcj.org/who-we-are/|title=About IFCJ, The History, and Humanitarian Work|publisher=IFCJ|access-date=2019-02-14}}

Eckstein made aliyah in 2005 with her husband, who is Israeli. After the initial move, Eckstein lived with her father, during which time she saw the workings of the IFJC. After 15 years of working under her father's guidance, where Yael's first job at IFCJ was stamping envelopes, her father began preparing her for succession as CEO.{{cite web|url= https://www.jns.org/yael-eckstein-is-putting-her-own-mark-on-building-bridges-between-christians-and-jews/|title=Yael Eckstein is putting her own mark on building bridges between Christians and Jews |date=2019-11-15|last= Fineblum|first= Deborah|publisher=JNS }} In 2006, she started writing to Fellowship donors about her experiences during the Second Lebanon War.{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/50-most-influential-jews/christians-678148 |title=Bible coming alive in Israel,' these women connect Christians to it |date=2021-09-12|last= JAFFE-HOFFMAN|first=MAAYAN |publisher=The Jerusalem Post }}

As of 2019, she regularly blogs and writes op-eds for The Times of Israel{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/yael-eckstein/|title=Yael Eckstein's Blog|website=blogs.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-14}} and The Jerusalem Post.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Search?search=%22by:%20yael%20eckstein%22|title=Search: %22by:%20yael%20eckstein%22|website=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=2019-02-14}} She has also spoken at international events, including a on religious persecution in the Middle East in Washington, D.C.{{Cite web|url=https://concernedwomen.org/cwa-and-ifcj-host-religious-persecution-panel/|title=Concerned Women for America and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to Host Religious Persecution Panel|author=|date=May 2015 |publisher=Concerned Women for America|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-14}} She also shares her perspective on Judaism, life in the Holy Land, and her work with the IFCJ on the group's radio program, Holy Land Moments, and, as of 2021, hosts the Nourish Your Biblical Roots and Conversations with Yael podcasts.{{cite web|url=https://charismamag.com/culture/blessing-israel/ |title=How The Fellowship Builds Bridges Between Christians and Jews |date=2021-03-02|last= D. Johnson |first= Christine |publisher=Charisma Magazine }} Yael lives in Israel with her husband and four children.

Eckstein previously held the positions of global executive vice president, senior vice president, and director of program development and ministry outreach.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

In 2016, Yechiel Eckstein publicly blessed Yael as the one he envisioned running IFCJ. In 2017, the Fellowship's board—excluding her father, according to Yael—designated her as president-elect.{{cite news |last1=Oster |first1=Marcy |title=After death of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, daughter inherits billion-dollar charity |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-death-of-rabbi-yechiel-eckstein-daughter-inherits-billion-dollar-charity/ |access-date=29 April 2022 |work=Times of Israel |date=February 27, 2019}}

In 2019, after her father's death at 67, she became president and CEO of The Fellowship, the Chicago-based nonprofit with an office in Israel. She oversees all Fellowship programs as its President and CEO and is the organization's international spokesperson.

In 2023, leaked files from the reputation management firm Eliminalia showed that the firm had been engaged to target stories about Eckstein and her father, specifically trying to remove content reporting their combined $4 million annual compensation in 2019, which an IFCJ spokesperson said was due to a death benefit paid out to the elder Eckstein's widow,{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-732615|title=Criticism of prominent rabbi's salary may have been erased from the internet|date=24 February 2023 |access-date=2 March 2023}} and that Eliminalia had used what the Washington Post characterized as "bogus copyright complaints" in its attempts to do so.{{cite news |last1=Boburg |first1=Shawn |title=Leaked files reveal reputation-management firm's deceptive tactics |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2023/eliminalia-fake-news-misinformation/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=February 17, 2023 |language=en}}

In 2014, Yael Eckstein was named "One of Israel's 100 Most Influential Women" by Makor Rishon.{{cite web|url=https://www1.cbn.com/pass-legacy-faith-your-children|title=Pass A Legacy of Faith To Your Children |publisher=CBN }} In 2015, she was featured on the cover of Nashim (Women) magazine. In 2019, she was recognized by the Algemeiner Journal as one of the "Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life".{{cite web |url=https://www.algemeiner.com/the-top-100-people-positively-influencing-jewish-life-2019/ |website=The Algemeiner |access-date=7 October 2019 |title=The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life}} In both 2020 and 2021, Eckstein was named one of The Jerusalem Post's "50 Most Influential Jews".{{cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/50-most-influential-jews |website=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=3 December 2020 |title=The Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews of 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/50-most-influential-jews-2021|title=THE JERUSALEM POST'S 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL JEWS OF 2021 |publisher=The Jerusalem Post }}{{cite web|url=https://futureofjewish.substack.com/p/50-of-our-favorite-jewish-women-right?s=r|title=50 of Our Favorite Jewish Women Right Now |publisher=Future of Jewish }} In 2023, Eckstein received the Humanitarian Award from The Jerusalem Post.{{cite web |url=https://congress.jpost.com/faces-of-israel-23/|website=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=24 April 2023 |title=Celebrate the Faces of Israel}}

• Holy Land Reflections (2012)
• Spiritual Cooking with Yael (2014)
• Generation to Generation (2020)

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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American Jews

Category:Christian and Jewish interfaith dialogue

Category:Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni

Category:Jewish American non-fiction writers

Category:People from Chicago

Category:Queens College, City University of New York alumni